New poverty data published

Poverty
Photo by Jon Flobrant on Unsplash
NewsMarch 25th, 2021

New poverty data published highlights why poverty must be a priority for all political parties in Senedd election.

The Department for Work and Pensions has today published the latest poverty data for the UK. The data published largely pre-dates the pandemic and is averaged over three years. It highlights that progress in reducing poverty has been fairly limited in all four UK nations even before Covid 19 struck.

Looking at Wales, the overall poverty rate is unchanged at 23% in the most recent data, meaning that some 710,000 people are trapped in poverty. Whilst there has been a very modest decrease in the proportion of pensioners living in poverty in the most recent data, with the poverty rate falling from 19% to 18%, there has been an increase in the child poverty rate, from 28% to 31%.

Given that the data precedes the pandemic it is likely that the number of people struggling to keep their heads above water has increased. Recent research published by the Bevan Foundation highlights the extent of the strain that pandemic has placed on many households.

Responding on behalf of the Bevan Foundation, Dr Steffan Evans said:

“The latest statistics are clearly very disappointing but are not surprising. The data highlights why it is so important every party makes poverty a priority for the upcoming Senedd election, and commit to take action to address all the causes of poverty”.

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